Rihanna's Diamond Singles: Ranked
In May 2024, Rihanna officially set the record for the most diamond certified singles and diamond certified titles by any female artist in history. She now has seven songs that have reached this rare and prestigious honor in music. A song is certified diamond by the RIAA, the Recording Industry Association of America, when it sells over ten-million copies in the United States. "ain't no back n forth," Rihanna wrote on social media sharing her landmark achievement.
Although she hasn't released a new album since 2016, Rihanna continues to be one of the highest-selling and most influential artists in the industry. In the past eight years, aside from releasing a couple of new songs and headlining the Super Bowl halftime show in 2023, she has otherwise taken a big step back from the music industry to focus on her family and working on other very successful business ventures. She has pretty much all but officially retired from music and I don't expect her to ever come back with a full album again - or at least not anytime soon. Her catalog of timeless classics is so vast and spans over the course of nearly two decades, dominating the charts year after year, so at this point she doesn't even have anything left to prove for herself when it comes to music. Her incredible discography and legacy really speaks for itself!
This list really only scratches the surface of all of the great music she has made, I can definitely see it continuing to grow in the coming years as more of her other massive hits get submitted for certification. Rihanna truly has countless hits and one of the strongest discographies of any contemporary artist.
7. "Love The Way You Lie (feat. Eminem)" // 2010
It was honestly a no-brainer to have "Love The Way You Lie" as the lowest ranked spot on the list. It has nothing to do with Rihanna's part in the chorus, but Eminem's verses sound like nails on a chalkboard to me. I remember hating this song when it first came out years ago, I was only about 11 years old at the time, but I hate it even more now that I can fully understand what he's saying. It's actually crazy to me that this is technically her biggest song ever and was also her first diamond certified title because she has so many better songs and collaborations, even from way back at that point in her career! This may be a bad start to the ranking but trust me, it gets a lot better from here!
6. "Work (featuring Drake)" // 2016
"Work" was the lead single off of Rihanna's most recent album in 2016, Anti. The song features her frequent collaborator Drake, and largely draws from a unique blend of dancehall, reggae, pop, and R&B influences. It is quite different than the rest of Anti, but still is such a fun and catchy song nonetheless.
5. "Stay (feat. Mikky Ekko)" // 2012
I actually forgot how stunning "Stay" is, I had goosebumps from start to finish while listening for the first time in probably several years. The production is very stripped back and largely focuses on showcasing her incredible vocal range. Her delivery of this song is deeply honest and heartfelt, it is absolutely one of the best performances of her entire career.
4. "Needed Me" // 2016
Anti has always been my favorite album by Rihanna, one that I believe is also her strongest and most consistent as a full body of work. If she were never to make another album again, she definitely left the music industry on a high note. "Needed Me" is one of the best songs from that album and one of the stand-out moments in her entire discography. The perfect blend of her powerful vocals over a mellow trap beat just sounds so atmospheric. She sounds so effortlessly confident and so empowered on this song!
3. "We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)" // 2011
In the early to mid-2010's, EDM's influence in pop music was very prevalent and "We Found Love" in particular was at the forefront of that trend. It was one of the most successful and influential songs of that era in music, which many artists' tried to replicate around that time. Now over a decade later, it was a sound that overall didn't really age that well, but "We Found Love" is one of the few outliers that has absolutely stood the test of time. It has a really infectious hook and a simple, powerful message. This is also one of the best moments of Calvin Harris' discography as well, who went on to make many more massive hits in the decade to follow. I saw him live back in 2015 and when he played this song I remember it being such a fun and electric part of the set. "We Found Love" is such a classic and still so much fun to listen to!
2. "Umbrella (feat. JAY-Z)" // 2007
Released as the lead single for her third album Good Girl Gone Bad in 2007, "Umbrella" is a song that is looked back on as the major breakthrough moment in Rihanna's career, turning her into the undeniable force in pop music that we know her as today. It was a song that signified her truly coming into her own as an artist, with her debut of a mature, edgier look and sound than she was previously known for. Her artistic evolution between her sophomore album the year prior and the release of this song is so evident. "Umbrella" was my introduction to Rihanna's music at a young age and still remains one of my favorites all these years later. It is absolutely one of the biggest highlights from that decade in music and the definition of pop perfection!
1. "Diamonds" // 2012
When looking at all of Rihanna's diamond singles, it's only appropriate for "Diamonds" to be at the top of this list! Whenever I listen to this song now I think of her performance at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2023, it was so incredibly powerful to watch. Unapologetic brought some of Rihanna's strongest work ever up to that point and "Diamonds" is absolutely the brightest moment from that album. "Diamonds" features one of her greatest vocal performances yet, as well as stunning production by Benny Blanco and Stargate. The song was written by Sia in just twelve minutes, who was known at the time for her behind-the-scenes work as a songwriter on several huge hits, but would go on to become a massive star in her own right in the years to follow this release. Listening to it now, it really does sound like Rihanna singing a Sia song, with her closely following the stylistic vocal inflections of the original demo. It is overall a happy and optimistic love song, which is a departure from the majority of the music she has made up to that point. Over the years "Diamonds" has come to be seen as the cornerstone of her discography and one of the best she has ever made. 💎
In terms of diamond certified singles, Rihanna is now only just behind Post Malone, who currently holds eight himself. I ranked his diamond singles recently too, which I'd love for you to check out linked here and below! Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts and some of your favorites by Rihanna in the comment section below!
All photo credit to owners: Rihanna, Elle Canada
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